Originally Posted by
HDQDD
Having been a ramper in a past life with a different carrier, we had a few dogs that got out of kennels. It can be quite the circus trying to corral a scared dog on a busy airport ramp. At least one was never found.
Usually it was because the dog either was strong enough to break out of the cheap plastic kennel or the kennel wasn't assembled correctly.
I can't speak for the DL ramp, but we were always very good to dogs (many rampers have pets too). Many people would tape food and notes to the top of the kennel, and if the dog was on a layover, we'd feed it and refill its water.
One of the funniest scenarios was a dog that got loose in the bulk pit of a 777. It was a boxer who was not going to let anyone enter the pit to help him out. This is a problem for many reasons, but one of which is how high in the air the bulk pit is on a 777. If the dog (or ramper) had fallen to the ground, they'd have been seriously injured. We had to call animal control. Unfortunately, this meant that pax bags in the aft and bulk were delayed for almost an hour as they finally subdued the dog (he got stuck in the curtain between bulk/aft). Thankfully everything was ok.
Personally, I would never travel with a dog in cargo (especially on long flights). It's dark, dogs are sensitive to the pressure differences, smells, and noise, and you never know if there's other dogs next to them.
Thanks for sharing. I've dealt with other people's dogs somewhat regularly working at a pet-friendly hotel, and have also had dogs of my own for most of my life. Along the way, a dog gets loose every so often, and it's a crap shoot as to how they'll react, especially in an unfamiliar environment like a hotel lobby or airport ramp.
One useful trick I've found that seems to work (and which I learned from the manager of our kennel, who knows far more than me): Instead of chasing or trying to corner the dog, just have someone lay down on their back. The dog's confusion usually converts to curiosity, and when they come over to figure out what's going on you can gently snag their collar.
I suppose YMMV on whether you want to lay down in the middle of busy ramp...